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The Gentleman’s Express: A Deep Dive into the 1953 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn (SNF47)
September 17, 2025
An understated landmark
Among post-war Rolls-Royces, the Silver Dawn is the quiet revolutionary. Launched in 1949, it was the first model offered with factory-built “standard steel” coachwork, sharing its chassis and body architecture with the Bentley Mk VI/R-Type while preserving the brand’s hallmark refinement.
Early cars carried the 4,257cc six; from 1951 the engine grew to 4,566cc. A four-speed automatic joined the range shortly thereafter, and period road manners benefitted from independent front suspension, a live rear axle on semi-elliptic springs, and servo-assisted drum brakes.
Production remained modest c.761 cars in total, leaving the Silver Dawn one of the rarer post-war Rolls-Royces, especially in right-hand-drive, home-market form.
From late 1953 the model was formally offered in the UK, aligning with the period’s Motor Show and factory literature. In this context, the car presented here is unusually significant.
The car: provenance that speaks for itself
Chassis SNF47 is believed to be the first Silver Dawn delivered for the UK home market, a status supported by the factory order and build sheets within the history file.
It was displayed on the Rolls-Royce stand at the 1953 Earls Court Motor Show, used for contemporary road tests by The Autocar and The Motor in October 1953, and illustrated in the official 1953 Rolls-Royce sales brochure, with this very car pictured.
Its first owner was Sir Frederick Handley Page CBE (1885–1962), the aviation pioneer behind Handley Page Ltd and key RAF types including the Halifax and Victor. His name appears on the original factory order accompanying the car. Following Sir Frederick’s passing in 1962, SNF47 was exported to California by Count René de Mallory, where it benefitted from a dry climate for 26 years.
Around 1963 its colour was changed from its factory Belco Silver to Mason’s Black, which it wears today. In 1988 it returned to the UK and was re-registered on its original number RTU 272 (supporting documentation included). Thereafter it enjoyed two long private custodianships before being purchased by the current owner in 2011.
Condition, specification and manner
SNF47 presents as a Standard Steel Sports Saloon in Mason’s Black over red leather with walnut trim, a quietly dramatic and very period pairing. Under the bonnet sits the correct 4.566-litre straight-six with single downdraught Zenith carburettor (Engine no. S61F), paired to the four-speed automatic.
The car retains the expected running-gear layout: independent front with helical springs and hydraulic dampers; semi-elliptic rear springs; and servo-assisted drum brakes all round.
The cabin shows the gentle patina of careful decades rather than restoration excess: supple hides, warm timber, correct switchgear and instruments, exactly the atmosphere one hopes to find in a well-kept Silver Dawn.
Stewardship and records
This motor car has been known to and maintained by Rolls-Royce & Bentley specialists Hillier Hill for much of the past two decades. In the current ownership (from 2011), maintenance has been fastidious, with invoices totalling close to £50,000 over approximately 15 years. It was last serviced and MOT’d in April 2025. The odometer reads 37,318 miles at the time of cataloguing.
The history file is notably complete and includes:
• Original factory order and build sheets
• 1953 Rolls-Royce sales brochure featuring this car
• Period press: The Autocar (16 Oct 1953), The Motor (late Oct 1953 coverage)
• Classic & Sports Car (Sept 1988)
• DVLA papers confirming the return to RTU 272 in 1988
• Log books, manuals, tool kit, service records and import/export correspondence
Why SNF47 matters
Silver Dawns are scarce; Silver Dawns with documented Motor Show presence, period test-car status, brochure illustration, and distinguished first ownership are virtually never encountered.
SNF47 embodies the model’s historical pivot, post-war modernity executed with Rolls-Royce restraint, while offering the kind of provenance and paperwork that collectors prize.
For the next custodian, this is not merely a fine example; it is a reference car, an elegantly preserved chapter of Rolls-Royce history, ready to be used, shown and stewarded with pride. 
This important 1953 Silver Dawn is now offered for sale and is available for inspection by appointment.
